Noah
by Aurora Denain
Summary: Not answering right away she turned her eyes back towards the bed. “Can’t a mother just want to check on her son?”' A prequel to 'Reviving the Dead'.


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Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes, it is the property of NBC, and the creators as well as any one listed on the copyrite agreement. I am only borrowing and intend no infringment on that.

AN: I kinda liked the feeling of Reviving the Dead, even if I wasn't happy with how I ended it. That said, I decided to write up a bit of a prequal to explain things a bit more. This one turned out much more to my liking. Not really anything else to say about this but enjoy.

Noah

The floorboards creaked just slightly as she padded down the hallway, stopping just outside the hardwood door. Fingers almost shaking she pushed open the door, she moved quietly inside. Pale blue walls reflected almost eerily in the moonlight that streamed through the bay windows.

Trying to not allow the moister to gather in her eyes she looked over the room, taking in every detail, no matter how small. A soft smile curved on her lips as she bent to pick up a discarded teddy bear, running a hand lovingly over the worn fleece before turning towards the small cot that stood in the center of the room. The plain wooden headboard stood broadly, looking far too mature for the rooms occupant, and standing out horribly in contrast to the racing bed sheets that covered it. Tucking the bear gently into the crook of the slumbering figures arm she brushed downy blond hair from his forehead, she felt the tears began to well again. She hadn't spent enough time with him yet, always busy with work, with saving the world.

Backing up from the bed she leaned against the wall, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Looking at his bed again she felt the bitter sting of regret in the back of her throat. He had wanted a racing car bed for his third birthday, but she had said no, insisting that the plain bed would be better for him. Now she wished she had caved, as it would be the last gift she would ever give him.

When she was younger she'd thought saving the world would be this grand and glorious affair, but standing there in that darkened room she wished she'd never even thought of the possibility. They'd all spent so much time, and had sacrificed so much to save the world, to stop it from splitting like Peter had seen years before. They'd been different then, good, evil, right, wrong in a cookie cutter world that she thought would never change. Suppressing a laugh for fear of waking him she closed her eyes tightly. She'd been wrong, they all had. Good and evil didn't exist, not really. The world was simply made up of those that tried to do what they thought was right, and those who no longer cared.

Sighing gently she ran a hand over her slightly rumpled blouse, a nervus habit she didn't know when she'd picked up. The soft creak of floor boards drifted towards her. Hastily whipping at her eyes to hide her tears she tried to straighten herself as the door gently opened. Once heavy footsteps were quieted as he stepped inside the room, the door closing slightly behind him. "He's a sleep."

She didn't turn to look but she was sure there was a slight upturn to his lips at her words. "He should be, it's close to midnight." Moving to stand beside her he grasped her hand gently, looking down into her hazel eyes. The smile dropped slightly when he saw the look in her eyes. "What is it?"

Not answering right away she turned her eyes back towards the bed. "Can't a mother just want to check on her son?" The smile she tried to force didn't make it into her voice, instead a slight cracking tinted them. Worrying her bottom lip she didn't turn towards him, her mind racing. "Daphne called."

His hand fell away from her's in an instant and in that moment she felt colder than she had in years. "You're going." It wasn't a question, both of them knew that. Silence consumed them for a while longer, both staring at the young boy sleeping peacefully just a few feet away.

"I'm sorry." She knows he doesn't believe her, that she had said it too many times for it to really matter to either of them any more. Closing her eyes tightly she leaned her head back against the wall, hard. "It's just this last time I swear. They say they've pinpointed how to stop it. We have to try." There was a note of desperation in her voice she hadn't meant to add. She knew what this mission would be, how it would change things, but it was something that had to be done. She had to save her son, had to insure that he would be able to grow and live a good life. The earth was cracking, they knew that, and the only thing they could do to prevent it would be to stop it all together, even if her son wasn't her's anymore when she got back.

"You're not coming back." Over the years she'd gotten used to him asking questions without really asking them, but at the moment she wished he would just come out and say what ever it was that was playing in his mind. Standing very still she shook her head, not having the strength to vocalize it. "You're going to change the past, going to rewrite it, and when you do all of this, our life, will disappear. Forever."

In that moment she almost cursed him for his ability, something she hadn't done in years, not since she was still an inexperienced teenager. He always knew everything, how it worked, what it did, and even now he was figuring out exactly what this call would entail. "I have to, I can't just set here and do nothing when I could help so many more people by being out there." He didn't say anything, didn't turn to look at her, instead simply staring at their son. A single nod was the only confirmation she received that he even heard her. She closed her eyes tightly as he dropped a kiss to her forehead and lips before walking over to the bed and tucking their son in tightly. Without a backwards glance to her he left the room.

Fighting back tears she made her own way towards her son's bed, dropping down to kneel beside it. Kissing him gently on the forehead she brushed his blonde hair out of his face, smiling sadly. "I love you. Always remember that Noah. Mommy loves you." Placing one last kiss on his forehead she forced her self out of the room, wincing slightly as the door clicked softly behind her.

Hiro was already waiting in the shadows near the front step as she walked outside, clad in black and in full game face. They didn't say anything to each other, simply sharing a look to which Hiro nodded. With one final look back towards her home and her family, she allowed Hiro to grasp her arm. In the blink of an eye Claire Gray was gone, forever.


End file.
